Today's topic is the fourth noble truth. How we understand that depends a bit on how we understand the second noble truth.
If the second noble truth is the cause of suffering, then we may, or may not, be able to let go of the suffering, but we understand the cause. Knowing that – maybe some attachment, some clinging, some belief that is unhealthy – is the cause, then we look for a practice that helps us to become free of that, to loosen the grip. The fourth noble truth is the practice to do that.
We start cultivating a way of being in the world that creates the conditions for us to let go of the cause. We practice right view, ethical life, meditation, so that we can experience or attain the degree of settledness, non agitation, and integrity, that allows the system – our mind, our hearts – to begin to soften and release the attachments we have.
If we know the cause of suffering, craving or attachment, and we have a very clear release of that craving, a cessation of it that is dramatic, then we know, "Oh, this is the way forward. The Eightfold Path can be the way to do this again. This is the way to develop myself and grow myself. These are the practices that put myself in a better position to let go even more, and not cling again."
If the second noble truth is the arising of suffering, and the fourth is the cessation of suffering, we see it coming and going – all the different shapes and forms of suffering and stress we have. We see that in the arising and passing, there starts to be freedom. Then the Eightfold Path can be seen as a path you can do more and more to support that deep seeing.
But if the cessation, the third noble truth, is a definitive, clear dropping away – the bottom drops away in some wonderful, inspiring way. We realize, "Oh, this is freedom. This is peace. This is the profound sense of well being that's possible. I had no idea." Then the Eightfold Path becomes a practice of two things – to move into this experience of peace more and more, and also becomes a practice that manifests that peace.
In the teachings of the Buddha, we find plenty of times where the Eightfold Path is eight ways of being in the world – not practices to attain peace, not practices that now we understand are what we should practice if we want to deepen our peace, but they are more expressions of the peace.
I do not know if this is a good example, but an open hand might feel easeful, and the expression of the open hand is ease and being open. The expression of open hand is its sensitivity available to the world. The expression of the open hand is not creating a fist to hit someone. It is just an open hand.
When the letting go is deep, full enough, it can become a reference point and a source from which we then live our life. The Eightfold Path then is not a prescription for how to practice further, (so we can deepen our practice or experience more liberation), but rather the Eightfold Path is an expression, a description, of how we start living.
If at some point, we have a clear sense that it is really good to be at ease, at peace, to have a sense of well being, then when we have forces within us that want to go in a different direction, we would say, "Why? Why give up something good, something useful, for something that is not so good." It is not a matter of practicing the Eightfold Path, but rather, it is a matter of not doing those things that take us away from the Eightfold Path.
Someone who is deeply practiced becomes the Eightfold Path – they do not practice the Eightfold Path. Becoming it, they do not allow themselves to do things that that take that away or lose touch with themselves – this home of who they are.
At some point of this Four Noble Truths practice, the Eightfold Path becomes more and more interesting. Either it becomes, "This is useful to do this – all eight of these practices – to create the conditions to transform who I am – my feelings, sense of being, attitude, how I am in the world – so it becomes easier to let go more and more. Or, there has been a transformation, from a deep letting go, and now it is a matter of growing that transformation, letting it spread and become bigger and bigger. The Eightfold Path is then both the fulfillment of the goal, and the means to the goal.
The Eightfold Path is eight sets of ways of being. Sometimes they are called eight practices, which is true when they are understood to be a means to liberation. They are eight ways of being when they are understood as being an expression of our awakening. These are right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. It ends with the right concentration.
The middle ones – right speech, right action and right livelihood – they are ethical – how we behave in the world, how we relate to other people, how our actions affect others. There is an orientation to an ethical transformation, not to follow rules so much. To follow these ways of being that are ethical guidelines, so that we begin to be transformed. It is not about following rules only, it is about living this way, so that we start being ethically transformed. We become someone who has such a sense of integrity or peace, that, of course, we would not do the unethical things that would obscure or harm that.
With the right concentration, we are talking also about a transformation. Concentration is not just a matter of having a laser focus of the mind. It is having a unified sense of peace and calm from having let go a lot, and practicing concentration, practicing stability and steadiness. This is one of the primary ways that the Buddhist tradition has for preparing ourselves for the deepest kinds of letting go we can do. We are becoming softer, more malleable, resilient, less distractible. In that state, we are ready for something to be put down that we have been carrying for a long time.
There is some inner transformation that happens. Part of that inner transformation is an experience of peace. At some point that peace becomes a reference point. It becomes a seed that we can water and grow – a plant that grows and blossoms within us. The Eightfold Path represents that blossoming, that fulfillment of it all.
If you are not familiar with the Eightfold Path, they are really marvelous things to learn and study. Once you study them enough, so you understand the basic idea of each of them, then you can start feeling, sensing your way, understanding how these eight ways of being, are not only practices, they are also inner wellsprings of being at home, inner expressions of being settled and in peace with oneself.
This peace does not have to be dramatic. There might be little hints of what that is like. As we orient around that peace, it can grow. It is possible to have very small degrees of peace in this life that we overlook. The mind is so concerned with its preoccupations that we just keep thinking them. We have one preoccupation finished, and we just jump on to the next one, and the next one, and there is no space.
What we learn in this practice is to create a little more space and attentiveness to the subtler places of well being, subtle places of peace, that begin surfacing through the practice. Then touch into it periodically, regularly through the day. Find the little seeds. Recognize it, water it with attention. Let it be a reference point. Let it be a guide. Let it be there to support you as you go through your life.
For this day, you might study, get a book or go online and read about the Noble Eightfold Path. You also might look for the seeds of peace, the little hints of it that were ease. That might be more part of you, more available than you allow yourself to feel. Pause, stop, take a break. Check into yourself. See if you find, anywhere within you, some modicum, even a smallest degree of peace and well being. If you stay close to that for a little while, breathe with it. What happens to you? What do you learn about peace being an expression and not a practice.
Thank you for today. We will have one more talk on the Four Noble Truths tomorrow. We are almost done with the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. Thank you.
